Abstract:

Introduction:
An actual goal of the regional development is to support networking among regional universities to increase the effectiveness of their impact on the solution of economic, social and cultural problems of specific territories. Higher education policy in Russia limits the ability of regional authorities to influence the development of higher education, it forces universities to address regional problems. In this regard, an important research problem appears: universities are not entirely ready to develop intra- and interregional network links and the assessment of those obstacles and barriers. Researchers need to impede the implementation of these tasks.

Methodology and methods:
The methodology of our study is based on the network theory, which is used to describe network links in education. Also, we used the methodology of social capital research, and P. Bourdieu’s theory of social and educational space. The process of development of network interactions in higher education is associated with its institutional functions: educational, innovative, social. This allowed us to consider that regional universities are ready for being included into the process of interaction. An empirical study of the network interactional problems between universities in the region was carried out in the Urals Federal District - one of the largest and most developed regions of Russia.
The design of the study contains methods of an expert survey (30 experts) and a mass survey of teachers and students of the region. The sample set included 19 universities. The sample size of teachers was 810 people, students - 1860 people. The study implemented a quota sampling, which was based on statistical data about regional educational communities.

Results:
In our study we tried to reveal, if there any opportunities for the network connections development between the universities of the region. Interviews with experts depicted the necessity of intraregional network links between universities in the Urals Federal District. According to experts, they will contribute to the creation of a unified educational space, which will become a driver for innovative development and socio-cultural transformations in the region.
The teaching community and students showed a sufficiently prominent level of readiness for the development and implementation of networked educational programs, and the development of academic mobility. These social groups are sceptic about the prospects for the development of virtual mobility.
Limitations of network links development in the region include the traditional hierarchical structure of higher education management – it is lined from the federal center to regions. It leads to regulatory restrictions and to the unwillingness of regional authorities to solve the problems of the region together with higher education. The lack of material resources, problems of the network management culture become a challenge for regional authorities, who need to support the development of network interactions.

Conclusions:
The ambivalence of glocalization is manifested, on the one hand, in the orientation of Russian universities towards the world educational trends, and the development of network links at the macro level. On the other - increasing importance of local intra-regional network ties become the driver of the development of the regional economy and culture.

Keywords:

Network interaction, higher education, development of regions.